Q'ute
Ann "Q'ute" Reilly is a fictional assistant to the Quartermaster of the British Secret Service. The character appears in the James Bond continuation novels Licence Renewed (1981), For Special Services (1982) and Icebreaker (1983) penned by author John Gardner, and in the comic strips The Paradise Plot (1981–2), Deathmask (1982–3) and Flittermouse (1983). Biography After a year of field work, Ann took a two-year technical course, which earned her the promotion to Q-Branch executive. After only a week in this position, Ann was given the nickname "Q'ute", a name that she found "damn silly". ''Licence Renewed A year in to her service, in 1981, it was Q'ute's task to equip agent 007 with the necessary equipment to infiltrate Dr. Anton Murik's Castle. She equipped him with a steel-strengthened briefcase and suitcase, both with hidden sound capturing equipment, sabotage tools, and survival items. She also gave him a pen with a distress beacon built in, a high-intensity flashlight, a replica of his Dunhill lighter that released a painful gas, as well as a set of Nitefinder goggles. Later, in an attempt to sharpen her handgun knowledge, she watches as Bond disassembles and reassembles a gun. She then asked about the mark on his hand (the surgical scar from removing the ''Ш left over from Casino Royale). The two went to dinner, and Ann took Bond to her apartment where she showed him her extensive hologram array that used mirrors to change a room's appearance. ''For Special Services Ann and Bond are established as "close friends and occasional lovers", and Bond was staying at her apartment when he was summoned by M to the Regent's Park building for a briefing. Icebreaker Ann is revealed to have perfected the art of masking firearms so that they would not appear in airport security screenings, by creating a screening device. a secret that she kept heavily guarded. She used the technology to safeguard Bond's firearms for his mission to Finland, and also used in in his suitcases. Behind the scenes John Gardner, in his James Bond novels, introduced the character of Ann Reilly, a young female assistant to Q whose co-workers as well as Bond nicknamed Q'ute. Major Boothroyd himself was only mentioned a couple of times. During ''Licence Renewed and For Special Services, Q'ute and Bond maintained a brief romantic relationship. Afterwards, it was revealed a number of times that Bond and Q'ute were involved in a casual relationship. By the time Gardner left the book series, Q'ute had taken over the running of Q Branch, but when Raymond Benson took over the literary series, he ignored much of Gardner's continuum and gave Q Branch back to Major Boothroyd with no explanation and no further references to Ann Reilly. Trivia *In the 2019 Casino Royale immersive theatrical experience hosted by Secret Cinema, actress Veronica Hare is credited as portraying Ann Reilly of Q Branch. See also *Z *Miss Nagai References Category:James Bond characters Category:Literary characters Category:Licence Renewed characters Category:For Special Services characters Category:Icebreaker characters Category:Allies Category:Female Characters Category:James Bond love interests Category:Bond Girls Category:Inventors Category:SIS Personnel